Semiconductors are used in variety of applications such as transistors, the gain medium of semiconductor lasers, and the light-absorbing medium of light sensors. The bandgap of these semiconductors often affects the performance of these applications. For instance, the wavelength output by a semiconductor laser is a function of the bandgap of the gain medium. The wavelength detected by light sensors can be a function of the bandgap of the light-absorbing medium. A variety of transistor characteristics such as speed can be a function of semiconductor band structures. The limited number of semiconductors that are available results in a limited number of band structures for use in these applications. The performance and versatility of these applications can be enhanced by increasing the number of band structure options that are available to these applications.